Bio

Bio

About Me

I discovered the internet in high school and immediately started teaching myself how to design for the web. Later, I worked at a high-volume print shop while attending Texas State University. I worked hard, learned everything I could, and eventually graduated cum laude with a BFA in Communication Design and a lot of real-world experience.

Since then, I’ve worked with several marketing companies and startups in various industries. My experience ranges from being the solo designer on a project, to collaborating within a large, fast-paced, multidisciplinary production team, to being head designer of a design department with the responsibility of hiring and managing junior designers, interns, and photographers.

I have continued to teach and challenge myself throughout my career both in and outside of work. Most recently, I’ve been learning about user experience, user research, and prototyping through the Specialization in Interaction Design on Coursera. I also enjoy selling my own creative illustrations and products online.

I am currently seeking a user-focused opportunity that will facilitate my growth as a designer. I especially want to collaborate with a brilliant, design-focused team to make products that are not only beautiful and responsive for multiple devices, but also delightful and easy to use.

UX Design

UX Design

Bitfusion GUI

I worked closely with the Director of Product to design Bitfusion's GUI which is virtual GPU management software for building AI.

CLOSE

BITFUSION GUI
I worked closely with the Director of Product to design this GUI for Bitfusion's virtual GPU management software for building AI.

Etsy Responsive Redesign

This is how I would change the web, mobile, and tablet interface to include the Updates feature as well as allow users to see more on the home screen. Currently it has a lot of scrolling down, but on the smaller devices, users can swipe through their recent items much easier.

CLOSE

ETSY RESPONSIVE REDESIGN
Rearranging how the current site is setup so that the Updates feed is more readily available, and to facilitate more browsing on the homepage.

Volusion Responsive Redesign

A personal challenge to reimagine this Austin online store company's website on web, mobile and tablet devices. The top portion would be a video that would cycle through different store owners' crafts or packing an order, etc.

It showcases a few different templates customers can use, all the features, a testimonial, and the call-to-action at the beginning and end is to start a trial.

Persona & Journey Map

This is an example of how I synthesize data from user interviews. I create a Persona which lays out all relevant attributes about the person. I then create a Journey Map which is a timeline of the user's thoughts & feelings during an experience. This allows stakeholders to see loads of data at a glance.

(User was anonymous, so please enjoy Chris Pratt's likeness!)

CLOSE

USER RESEARCH
Example of data synthesis. The Persona lays out all relevant attributes about the user. The Journey Map is a timeline of their thoughts & feelings during a given experience.

Etsy Smartwatch

Concept for an Etsy Smartwatch interface. The home page is simplified into four buttons: user profile, recent items, favorite items, and search. Now you can shop the indie market from your wrist!

CLOSE

ETSY SMARTWATCH
Concept for an Etsy Smartwatch interface. The home page is simplified into four buttons: user profile, recent items, favorite items, and search. Now you can shop the indie market from your wrist!

Uberpong Table Finder App

This mobile app allows users (ping pong enthusiasts) to easily locate ping pong tables in their area, as well as manually enter new locations. There is also a way to challenge others to a game of ping pong at a specific location.

Craigslist Responsive Redesign

The web & mobile interfaces, along with an entire brand redesign of Craigslist. Since there's a lot of data involved, so the information design required a lot of thought. As for the visual design, I wanted to have a newspaper feel, and keep the white/blue/purple color scheme, but evolve it to how I think it would work in the modern day.

CLOSE

ETSY RESPONSIVE REDESIGN
Rearranging things a bit to allow for the updates feed and more browsing on the homepage.

Uberpong Site & Custom App

Uberpong is a hip Austin startup that merges the game of Ping Pong with talented artists from all over the country. I designed the web interface and the mobile app that allows users to customize their own paddles. I worked closely with the Creative Director on the entire project and I look back on this as my favorite brand to design for.

KASASA WEB WORK (FORMERLY BANCVUE)
A handful of beautiful bank websites, tailored to each bank's personality and brand, providing leverage over mega banks.

Branding

Branding

Logo Design, Identity Work & Social Media

Branding

Branding

Logo Design, Identity Work & Social Media

Gym Buddies (Web Series)

Logo and title cards for this webseries shot in Austin, TX. The web series is a comedy about two girls who join a gym together. The branding style is meant to be hip and also match the mural inside the gym the series was shot in.

CLOSE

GYM BUDDIES (WEB SERIES)
Logo and title cards for this webseries shot in Austin, TX.

Bitfusion

When Bitfusion re-branded in 2016, I designed promotional materials to go along with it, such as business cards, t-shirts, stickers, signage and infographics. I also designed their adorable robot mascot named Michael to help explain machine learning.

CLOSE

Bitfusion
Promotional materials for this machine learning company.

Central Michigan University – Department of Communication and Dramatic Arts

Social media calendar for this department, to maintain social engagement with students & alumni throughout the 2016-2017 school year.

City to Table

Logo for an app that allows people to buy, sell & trade excess produce from gardens & small farms in their city.

CLOSE

CITY TO TABLE
Logo for this app selling/trading excess produce in your area.

Ponos

Corporate identity for an automated hydroponics system you can control with an app. The concept of the leaf-shaped logo goes beyond just being leaf-shaped. The pentagon represents the enclosed space. The ticks within represent the plants growing on a column. Its pentagonal shape relates to the five-sided columns within the system.

CLOSE

PONOS
Logo & business cards for this app-controlled hydroponics system.

Pedza

Logo for a shoe guard for motorcyclists. The concept of this logo is a winding road. The triangular arrows on the ascender & descender represent pushing the pedal of one's motorcycle up or down when shifting. (This product goes over the motorcyclist's shifting foot).

CLOSE

PEDZA
Logo for this compact shoe guard for motorcyclists.

Ontolo

Logo for a link-building company. I worked closely with the founder of this company who wanted to show its four core areas of focus – Expertise, Technology, Education & Community – in such a way that they were both colorful, and "coming together."

CLOSE

ONTOLO
Logo for this link-building company.

Hakone Toy Museum

Logo, stationery, and catalog folder for this Japanese museum. They showcase tin & celluloid toys that were mass-produced in Japan during the 1920s through the 1950s. A lot of the tin toys are robots, which is why I used robots in the logo. I made an "H" out of two robots playfully holding hands.

Cafe Mogador

Logo for a Moroccan restaurant. The concept for this logo relates to the history of the Island of Mogador in Morocco, after which this restaurant is named. It is a harbor protecting Essaouira, with what appears to be a long fort with many tunnels for boats to pass through. Two tunnels create an "M" for Mogador.

CLOSE

CAFE MOGADOR
Logo for this Moroccan restaurant.

Apple Restaurant and Bombar

Logo for a Vietnamese restaurant. The concept for this logo is the Flower of Life pattern which is an ancient geometric pattern found in all major religions in the world, and is also found in Egyptian, Phoenician, Assyrian, Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, and medieval art. (Also called Fruit of Life and Seed of Life). The pattern emerges through the layering of circles within circles. I found an apple in the pattern.

CLOSE

APPLE RESTAURANT AND BOMBAR
Logo for this Vietnamese restaurant.

Illustration

IllustrationIn addition to client work, I have an online shop for prints, pins & patches of my work.

Illustration

Portrait of Meghan Tonjes

I finally started to use my Wacom tablet more so I felt like doing some portraits. This is Meghan Tonjes of YouTube. She's an amazing singer-songwriter, social justice warrior, and body-positivity advocate I've admired for years.

CLOSE

PORTRAIT OF MEGHAN TONJES
Using my Wacom tablet, I drew one of my favorite role models on YouTube, Meghan Tonjes.

Kawaii Camera

This illustration began in pencil, then was traced with India ink, scanned, and finally vectorized. (I used to sell this, but Polaroid told me to cool it.)

(NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

(NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

CLOSE

KAWAII CAMERA
This illustration began in pencil, then was traced with India ink, scanned, and finally vectorized. (I used to sell this, but Polaroid told me to cool it.)

Kawaii Deer Enamel Pin

I illustrated this cute deer and then sent it off to be manufactured as lapel pins for online purchase.

CLOSE

KAWAII DEER ENAMEL PIN
I illustrated this cute deer and then sent it off to be manufactured as lapel pins for online purchase.

Fern Gully Plates

Surface design for a plate collection inspired by Fern Gully, using succulents and a dark, UV-lit feel.

CLOSE

FERN GULLY PLATES
Surface design for a plate collection inspired by Fern Gully, using succulents and a dark, UV-lit feel.

SIGNY Poster

Vector illustration of electro-pop duo in Austin called SIGNY. I had gone to their first show the evening before and was inspired.

CLOSE

SIGNY POSTER
Vector illustration of electro-pop duo in Austin called SIGNY. I had gone to their first show the evening before and was inspired.

The Fox & The Crow Children's Book Cover

Book cover for a children's story called The Fox and the Crow, from Aesop's Fables.

CLOSE

THE FOX & THE CROW BOOK COVER
Book cover for a children's story called The Fox and the Crow, from Aesop's Fables.

Orange Bear Party Indie

8x10 gouache illustration tribute to a room on Turntable.FM, which was a visual, real-time music-listening community made up of chatrooms which allowed music enthusiasts to take turns playing songs for each other. Each DJ & listener was represented by an adorable avatar. Orange Bear Party Indie (OBPI) was a room that gained popularity by having everyone turn their avatars to the same one (the "orange" bear), and I'm proud to have been a part of it.

CLOSE

ORANGE BEAR PARTY INDIE
8x10 gouache illustration tribute to a room on Turntable.FM, which was a visual, real-time music-listening community made up of chatrooms which allowed music enthusiasts to take turns playing songs for each other.

Pyrex Themed Kitchen Fabric Design

Blob Series

Character exploration using acrylics on two 18x24 canvases, and a 16x20 wood panel. I wanted to create things from my brain that didn't exist before. Mission accomplished!

CLOSE

BLOB SERIES
Character exploration using acrylics on two 18x24 canvases, and a 16x20 wood panel. I wanted to create things from my brain that didn't exist before. Mission accomplished!

Print

Print

Having worked at a print shop for 6yrs while in school, producing print projects is my jam.

Print

Print

Having worked at a print shop for 6yrs while in school, producing print projects is my jam.

RAD Office Tour Signage

RAD Office Tour is a one-day, self-guided tour of cool offices around Austin, to show the relationship between workspace design and company culture. As the Creative Director, I was in charge of all web & print material, which included designing and producing all signage.

The night before the tour, we threw a VIP Opening Party at Delta Millworks, and it was a success! There was an intriguing panel about Springdale General, which is a new office area in Austin that is still in development. We had catering from Peached Tortilla and a full bar thanks to Dulce Vida, Treaty Oaks, Lagunitas, Liber & Co, and 9 Banded Whiskey. Fannie Gunton also decked it out with furniture from The Panacea Collection with her mad interior design skills. It was amazing to see a lumber yard transform into a hip lounge spot!

At each of the 11 offices on the tour, there was a roadside sign, a vertical banner, flyer cards, wristbands, lanyards, and volunteer shirts – all of which were designed by me. (Folded maps designed by Jordan Newman at Cushman & Wakefield)

In addition to the above, I designed educational signs for each office, which informed the office's company culture and showcased its interesting spacial features. Lastly, I designed the directional way-finding signs to guide tourists through a preferred path. (Photos by Benjamin Porter)

CLOSE

RAD OFFICE TOUR SIGNAGE
As the Creative Director for this event, I was in charge of all web & print material, which included designing and producing all signage. [PHOTOS]

Uberpong Package Insert

Flyer that customers get when they receive their order. Call to action for this one is to share a photo of yourself on social media.

CLOSE

UBERPONG PACKAGE INSERT
Flyer that customers get when they receive their order. Call to action for this one is to share a photo of yourself on social media.

Mini Monster Homebrew Kit

Packaging (which turned into a box sticker) and instruction booklet for this homebrew kit by Monster Brew. I also art directed the photoshoot for that photo.

CLOSE

MINI MONSTER PACKAGING
Packaging & instruction booklet for this homebrew kit by Monster Brew. I also art directed the photoshoot for that photo.

Egyptian Type Design Book

Type catalog for the slab typeface Egyptian using an Ephemera Scrapbook theme. All text seen here is strictly in Egyptian and the only colors used are various shades of brown and gold.

The cereal box image highlights the anatomy of the characters. The eye chart folds out and shows caps in different sizes. The library card, bus pass, tickets, cigar labels and other random items help show the typeface in many different uses. The gift tags show its use in various sizes, leadings, and number of columns. The S&H Green Stamps at the end showcase each character within the font.

Won Best Brochure/Catalog at DSVC 2009

CLOSE

EGYPTIAN TYPE DESIGN BOOK
Type catalog for the slab typeface Egyptian using an Ephemera Scrapbook theme. All text seen here is strictly in the Egyptian typeface.

John Cage Album Packaging

Album package for a John Cage compilation inspired by a vintage toy piano. I did all the photography as well.

CLOSE

JOHN CAGE ALBUM PACKAGING
Album package for a John Cage compilation inspired by a vintage toy piano (which was actually my sister's). I did all the photography as well.

Fun Fun Fun Fest posters

Posters for the 3rd annual Fun Fun Fun Fest, which had three stages at the time, so that is how I designed each poster. I used this campaign as my own personal exploration of typography and patterns to communicate how each genre feels.

Yellow: Indie stage
Records background, Rolled-on ink, & Mixtapes

Blue: Electronic stage
Audio cords background, Dripped ink, & Laptops

Red: Punk stage
Safetypin background, Thrown-on ink, & Patches

CLOSE

FUN FUN FUN FEST POSTERS
Posters for the 3rd annual Fun Fun Fun Fest, which had three stages at the time. I explored typography & patterns to communicate how each genre feels.

Contact

Say Hello!

Contact

Say Hello!

Feel free to drop a line or add me on any social networks!

I supervised Manda during my time as Creative Director at the Austin startup, Uberpong. Initially accepting the role as Visual Designer, Manda has surpassed any expectations we initially had when we set out to expand our team. Utilizing her talent and knowledge, she was able to expand our design team’s capabilities through her deliverables and management skills.

Throughout her time at Uberpong, Manda was able to wear multiple hats – a trait that is becoming more and more necessary within the design field. Not only do I recommend Manda for any Senior Visual Designer role within a UI/UX team, but should you add her to your team, you will see exponential growth in your team’s talent and capabilities.

— Mark Schnitzer, Former Creative Director at Uberpong

With a bright attitude and unending knowledge of design trends, Manda made an excellent design partner in the two years we worked back-to-back at BancVue (now Kasasa). She was always available for collaboration and brainstorming, and had a skill for thoughtful, constructive critique. She treats her coworkers like teammates; sharing ideas and techniques to improve the team as a whole, finding success in other people’s achievements.

In addition, I admire her drive and enthusiasm for continued learning. Now whenever we speak, she is telling me about a new class, book, or tutorial she is taking to further expand her skill set. Any company would be lucky to have such a strong designer/collaborator/art director on their team.

— Casey Taylor, Former Senior Visual Designer at BancVue (now Kasasa)

I’ve worked with Manda for three years now. She’s proven herself to be an extremely competent designer, in print and web work. She’s designed countless sites, emails and products for ICG, all top notch. She’s also a great person who took time out of her busy schedule to help design a gift I had in mind for my wife’s birthday.